The Study
Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods and Sustainable Lifestyles: A Multicenter Study
This study found that people who eat a lot of packaged snacks and sugary drinks also tend to have habits that aren't great for the planet—like driving more or wasting more packaging. But it doesn't prove that eating junk food makes people less eco-friendly—it could also be that people who don't care about the planet are also more likely to eat junk food.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
People who eat a lot of packaged snacks, fast food, and sugary drinks tend to also do fewer things that help the planet, like recycling, using public transport, or eating local food.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—this suggests that unhealthy eating habits are linked to broader patterns of unsustainable living, not just personal health.
- 2People who ate fast food every day were 2.5 times more likely to be in the least sustainable group; sugary drinks every day increased odds by 82%; salty and sweet snacks also lowered sustainability scores.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2026
Authors
E. Meza-Miranda, S. Parra-Soto, Leslie Landaeta-Díaz, Israel Ríos-Castillo, Patricio Pérez-Armijo, T. V. Carpio-Arias, Macarena Jara Nercasseau, G. Gómez, Brian M. Cavagnari, J. Araneda-Flores, Karla Cordón-Arrivilaga, Catalina Ramírez-Contreras, Carla Villagrán-Cerro, Ana Gabriela Murillo, Gladys Morales, Melissa Miranda-Durán, Ana María Aguilar, A. Ortíz, E. Nava-González, J. Bejarano-Roncancio, Beatriz Núñez-Martínez, João P M Lima, Jorge de Assis Costa, J. Torres, Saby Mauricio, Saby Camacho, Gloria Maricela Morales, Samuel Durán-Agüero
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods tend to follow sustainable lifestyle behaviors less closely than those who eat less of these foods.
Adults in 14 Latin American and Spanish countries who eat fast food every day are 2.51 times more likely to be in the group with the least sustainable lifestyle than those who do not eat fast food daily. Similar increases in likelihood are seen with daily consumption of sugary drinks, salty snacks, and sweet snacks.
People who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods tend to have lower scores on measures of sustainable living, even when accounting for age, sex, body weight, exercise, smoking, and where they live.
People who eat more ultra-processed foods, especially fast food and sugary drinks, tend to have lower scores for sustainable living habits.
People who eat more ultra-processed foods, such as fast food and sugary snacks, have lower scores on a sustainable lifestyle index than those who eat less of these foods, and daily fast food eaters are 2.5 times more likely to be in the least sustainable group.
Adults in 14 Latin American and Spanish countries who drink sugary drinks moderately have 61% higher odds of engaging in the least sustainable lifestyle behaviors, and those who drink them daily have 82% higher odds.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.